Very Bad Things
by qchastity
Summary: With some of the most infamously evil dark wizards as close relatives, the demons of the past are never as far away as one would hope.


**Don't own any rights. Feedback, especially constructive criticism, would be greatly appreciated. **

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**November 1981**

Nymphadora is only eight, too young to truly grasp how much the world has changed. Yes, she knows who Harry Potter is, and she's been told how much safer she's recently become. But at eight, all these details about people she doesn't even know don't interest her much. She's been told it's all very important, but she hasn't left those last stages of childhood innocence, when a war raging in the world around her goes largely unnoticed.

What Nymphadora does notice, though, is that Cousin Sirius has stopped coming to visit. He was always her favorite playmate, a grown-up who wasn't boring like the rest of them. Usually, he stops by a few times a month, but by the third week of November, Nymphadora begins to realize that the pattern has stopped.

When Nymphadora finally asks her mother why Sirius has stopped visiting, her mother is silent for a long time. She looks very sad, and Nymphadora wonders if something bad has happened to him. Finally, her mother hugs her tightly and tells her that Sirius pretended to be nice, but that he was really a Very Bad Man who did Very Bad Things.

**December 1983**

Dora is poking through her mother's sock drawer, trying to peek at her Christmas presents early, when she finds the picture frame. It's heavy and silver, carved with curling designs. Curious, Dora pulls it out for a better look. There is her mother, looking much younger, laughing with two other girls. The one on her right looks so much like her that it takes Dora a moment to decide which of the two is her mother. The one on her left is smaller, blonde and delicately beautiful. Dora wants to know who these women are so badly that she doesn't even worry about getting in trouble for snooping.

When her mother first sees the picture, she gasps and sinks onto the couch. Dora, who hasn't even considered the possibility that the photograph might upset her mother, takes this as a sign that there's some really interesting story to be told. She plops down next to her mother and demands to know who the women are.

Her mother takes a few deep breaths before she answers. Finally, she tells Dora that the blonde one is her little sister, who doesn't talk to her anymore because she doesn't like Dora's father. Dora says that anyone who doesn't like Daddy must be crazy, and her mother smiles at her sadly. She gets up to leave, but Dora holds her back, wanting to know who the other woman is. Her mother pales slightly, but after a long pause, she finally tells Dora that the other woman is her Aunt Bellatrix, a Very Bad Woman who did some Very Bad Things.

**August 1991**

Tonks is sitting in a Ministry briefing room, trying to control her excitement that she has finally, _finally_, begun her Auror training. Her first instructor, a tall, broad-shouldered man named Robards, finishes fiddling with the enchanted projector he's been struggling to set up and calls the class to attention. He tells them that, before they can begin practical training, they need to be aware of what dark wizards are capable of. The projector whirrs to life, and the picture of an Azkaban inmate appears on the wall. The trainees listen in horror as Robards details the crimes that this man, Mulciber, has committed.

Fifteen minutes into the presentation, a face that Tonks hasn't seen for almost eight years appears on the wall. Tonks feels her mouth drop open as she stares up at the enormous image of her Aunt Bellatrix. Tonks knew, of course, that Bellatrix had done something horrible, but she had never known exactly how bad it was. As Robards lists the crimes of Bellatrix Lestrange, Tonks feels slightly ill. If things had been different, this woman would have come to her birthday parties and slipped her sweets when her mother's back was turned. Head spinning, Tonks tunes out Robard's presentation to imagine the bond she could have shared with a woman she now knows only as one of the most notorious of Death Eaters.

Tonks is snapped back to attention when another familiar face appears on the wall. Cousin Sirius, who she hasn't seen since she was eight. Hearing his crimes listed is so much worse than hearing those of her unknown aunt. Bile rising in her throat, Tonks listens as Robards details the horrific crimes of a man she spent happy childhood hours playing in the garden with. Blood pounds in her ears, and Tonks fights desperately against the urge to scream.

When the lights snap back on, the people around her notice that Tonks looks rather pale. Tonks ignores their encouragement to go lie down for a bit. She knows that she cannot show any weakness, especially not so early in her training. She will stay strong, become an Auror, and fight against the evil in the world, even if that evil comes in the form of her relatives.

**September 2003**

Andromeda has been expecting the question for quite some time. She and Harry have discussed it, agreeing that Harry will be the one to tell Teddy the tales of the battle, to ensure that those who fell will not be forgotten. But Harry isn't here right now, so Andromeda sighs and motions to Teddy to sit down.

She knows that someday, someday soon, he needs to know the whole truth. She has always known that it is impossible to protect him from it forever. But five is far too young for Teddy to need to know the whole, horrible reason that he only has a grandmother and a godfather while all of his friends have parents.

Andromeda holds Teddy close, just as she once did with Dora, and begins to explain to him that his parents were brave and good and kind, and that because of that, they were killed by a Very Bad Woman who did Very Bad Things.


End file.
